Not a pro - BC/CC black or SS black

J

jaycoop

I can paint and have painted using lacquer, Centari and BC/CC over the past 40 years (one each - only 3 vehicles total!). All of my paint jobs look very nice - I do excellent body work which is the key. My equipment consists of a portable Speedaire 2 cylinder compressor with a non-HVLP gun. My paint booth is a large old barn with good thru ventilation and it's always breezy here. I prefer this open environment which, with the good masks
I wear, protect my health. I get a few bugs, particles and occasional runs, but I am good at repairs. I have the budget to buy paint, but I do not have the money to pay a pro nor invest in new equipment. I want the best looking black I can get on the 30s car I am restoring. The bodywork is done and has been blocked with guide coat. I used SPI Epoxy (fantastic product) over which I used 2K Axis primer. NOW: BC/CC or SS black - or, as some on this forum have suggested, CC over SS?
 
I used SPI SS black on a 70 Z28 and it Is a very nice black. Repairs are easy with the SS. I am also not a pro.

Don
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SS will be almost the same as centari . any black i do is SS . dont fall for the bc/cc is easier wise tale. urethane ss is the same clear or color .
 
SS holds up really good. Did a 59' Caddy limo several years ago that gets used a lot. Front of the hood doesn't have any chips in it with over 15k miles. I'm pretty sure BC/CC would have the small chips down to base by now.
 
Looks really good
Thanks Don for the reply and the others who have. Nice ride. I am now convinced to use SS black. Did you color sand and is it more difficult to color sand/buff SS than clear coat?
 
Thanks Don for the reply and the others who have. Nice ride. I am now convinced to use SS black. Did you color sand and is it more difficult to color sand/buff SS than clear coat?

Yes I did cut and buff it. Didn’t seem any more difficult but the window for easy cut and buff is narrower compared to UV clear as I understand it. That is because it is based on the production clear. I did it the next day.

The Z28 belongs to a friend and was delivered as a painted roller. He is responsible for goodies in the engine compartment.

Don
 
Thanks for the additional info! I will have to work a little harder when cutting and buffing because i work full time and will only be able to work on the car a section at a time.
 
For me the SS is a lot harder to cut and buff. I struggled not being able to see the previous grit marks. I would think they were gone and they weren't. I wouldn't know until I finished sanding and would start buffing and then they'd be there. Then I'd work my way back up with the grits. The buffing itself wasn't any harder just the sanding part. I think the pigment sludge would trowel over the scratches when I wiped the panel.

Anyway I'm using it on my 42' Caddy so the durablitly trumped the easier sanding clearcoat.
 
I used 1000, 1200 and 1500 dry followed by 3000 and 5000 wet. I find doing the first three dry makes it easier to see scratches etc.

I’ve got some 2000 on order, going to try adding it on my current SPI red SS job.

Don
 
How many coats of SS are you all putting down? I know the great thing about the Universal is you can put 4 coats of clear and cutt and buff and not have issues later. What is the rule of thumb on SS?
 
Hopefully Barry will give the official answer but I use four coats.

For me the SS lays out nicer than the UNiversal so not much cutting needed. Keep in mind I am not a pro....

Don
 
I used 1000, 1200 and 1500 dry followed by 3000 and 5000 wet. I find doing the first three dry makes it easier to see scratches etc.

I’ve got some 2000 on order, going to try adding it on my current SPI red SS job.

Don
Hey don, when you 1000-1500 dry sand , did you use a orbital sander or by hand?
 
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